Study: Incandescent Light Bulbs Greener Than Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

[Chuck]

Concern the tiny amount of mercury will cause brain or kidney damage

MSNBC - March 20, 2008

Well, there they go again? - Ed

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, long touted by environmentalists as a more efficient and longer-lasting alternative to the incandescent bulbs that have lighted homes for more than a century, are running into resistance from waste industry officials and some environmental scientists, who warn that the bulbs’ poisonous innards pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought.

Fluorescents — the squiggly, coiled bulbs that generate light by heating gases in a glass tube — are generally considered to use more than 50 percent less energy and to last several times longer than incandescent bulbs.

When fluorescent bulbs first hit store shelves several years ago, consumers complained about the loud noise they made, their harsh light, their bluish color, their clunky shape and the long time it took for them to warm up.
...[Read More]

[mulad]

Bah. It's likely that more mercury gets into the atmosphere from the burning of coal and other materials to power an incandescent than the amount we're worrying about here -- and that escapes into the atmosphere, while CFLs actually have a reasonable chance of either being properly disposed of or getting into a landfill where there's at least partial containment.

Even if that isn't the case, I've never replaced a CFL in the past several years I've been using them. I think I can handle taking a box to the hazardous waste folks once every five or ten years, considering how much time and frustration I've saved from having to replace incandescents when they burn out.

[nash]

Power LEDs are making great strides. Seoul has a 10 watt led that puts out 700 lumes, more than a 60 Watt incandescent bulb, and more efficient than a Compact Fluorescent.

http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/5/2/27

[lamebums]

For years I've used incandescent light bulbs. A buddy of mine moved back from California a few months ago, and is now living with his parents--he gave me some of his old CFL's that he no longer needed.

They've been on the ceiling since, lighting up my room. I don't hear the buzzing sound over the music on my computer, and it's much brighter than before (for a mere 46 watts instead of the old 150). I'm immediately sold--I'm sick and tired of replacing incandescent bulbs, anyway.

[psyshack]

I have a few around the house. Need more.

[noflash]

I have them in almost every outlet.

I don't have them on two dimming ceiling fans.

I tried to replace my two outdoor flood lights, but when it's really cold they barely put out any light. They are on a motion detector, so they never really have time to warm up unless it's windy and my tree keeps them on. I had to move one back to traditional flood light. Maybe this summer I can switch back.

nf

P.S. If you've tried them and didn't like the "office-like" light output, Lowe's now carries soft white one's that are cheap now (<$2 each).

[worthywads]

I replaced almost all mine with CFLs several years ago. Unfortunately I have 7 recessed ceiling lights that use the enclosed floodlamp style CFLs and I've been only getting 9-12 months life out of them. Apparently they are getting hotter than they should because of a lack of adequate ventilation. Sorta counterproductive to run my a/c more to cool my CFLs.

I also have light fixtures in my bedroom and bathroom that have some odd sizes that are round and "decorative" that I haven't seen CFL replacements for. The wife sure can pick 'em.

[shifty35]

I've got CFL's *everywhere* in my house, and this article isn't going to change that.

Amount of mercury in typical CFL bulb: 5 mg

Amount of mercury in typical old-style thermometer: 1000 mg

And the kicker...

Amount of mercury in typical rotary thermostat: 5000 mg

Kinda like straining the gnat to only swallow the camel, wouldn't you say?

I've heard it said (reputable reference needed here) that you could smash all your dead CFL's directly into a river and still release less mercury into the ground water than would be released from the smokestack if you used an incandescent.

Either way, they come out ahead.

Mercury is really only a serious health risk if inhaled, poses little threat in liquid form, even though a little bit can be absorbed through the skin.

Almost all major cities will have facilities to properly dispose of them.

[PaleMelanesian]

I have CFLs in every location of my house that works. Outdoor floods - no. Dimmers - no. Inside the refrigerator - no. Everywhere else - yes.

[Skwyre7]

I have outdoor flood CFLs that are Dusk to Dawn. They work fine. But, they're on longer enough to warm up. We have one three-way lamp that has a normal 3-way bulb in it, and a couple on a dimmer. All of the other lights (that have burnt out) are now CFLs. I'll switch some to LEDs when they get a little cheaper.